


Not really sure how to feel about it...

by Ithinkwehaveanemergency



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, M/M, Magic connections, Minor Character Death, Poor explanations of magic stuff, Pre-Slash, Valentine's Day, if you want it to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22704466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/pseuds/Ithinkwehaveanemergency
Summary: And then, with a long, considering glance at Chad, Kai Parker walked out into the world to wreak a torrent of havoc that Mystic Falls will probably never recover from.And still, Chad stays.A post 2x12 fic that diverges from canon at the end of the episode, where Kai Parker takes a strange interest in Chad, who isn't sure why he stays.
Relationships: Malachai "Kai" Parker/Chad
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	Not really sure how to feel about it...

**Author's Note:**

> This fic pretends that 2x12 took place just before Valentine'a day, and is loosely inspired by Rihanna and Mikky Ekko's _Stay._
> 
> I have no idea what it is, but its Valentine's Day. So fuck it or what, eh?

Chad isn't sure why he stays, exactly.

He knows he doesn't really have a choice, of course. But he could  _ try _ to leave. He could try to go back to his old life. He could try to run the opposite way, far from anywhere he's known before. He could at least  _ hope _ that no one would find him.

Instead, Chad stays.

And another monster comes climbing out of that  _ fucking _ tar-filled hole in the ground, and all Chad can do is stare as the black slick drips off the lithe figure. This monster, this ordinary  _ man _ , is the most dangerous looking thing Chad has ever set eyes on.

Kai Parker spends the next few days proving that he  _ is _ exactly what he looks like.

Chad, for some reason, becomes practically invisible during the events after Kai's appearance. Introductions are made, posturing inevitable, and then the death begins.

Obviously, considering his tenure with the Necromancer, Chad has seen a good bit of death, including his own. But Chad hadn't been ready for it when this imposing man deigned to begin his reign of terror by walking up to the ruler of life and death himself, grabbing his wrinkled neck, and turning the terrifying man into dust.

The look in the handsome monster's eyes had been empty and yet full of fire and he siphoned the life and death straight out of the Necromancer until nothing tangible remained.

Chad had watched in awe, unsure of whether to mourn or rejoice the demise of his supposed friend.

And then, with a long, considering glance at Chad, Kai Parker walked out into the world to wreak a torrent of havoc that Mystic Falls will probably never recover from.

And still, Chad stays.

He also,  _ mysteriously _ , stays alive.

Chad has an apartment, though he's not sure for how long. The necromancer had killed someone to procure it, he's sure. It's a warm place to stay while Chad puzzles over why he hasn't left yet.

Each day, Chad wakes up, goes for a run, showers, and then sits for a while in the small, elegantly decorated apartment. There is a small stack of money on the counter, everything he'd had saved up before he left home with a crazy man. He hadn't touched it when the necromancer was alive. He had no reason.

Each day, when he starts to feel the need for breakfast, Chad picks up a few twenty dollar bills from the stack and walks around the quaint town. With each day, he pays more attention to the people on the streets. They appear happy, some even holding balloons and flowers, smiling as if it's the best day of their life. A quick glance at his phone one day tells Chad that it's coming on Valentine's Day. Still, it seems strange, everyone going about their day as usual, even when the number of mysterious disappearances each day is  _ impractical _ at best.

Chad has learned, during his short time in Mystic Falls, that the supernatural seems to stay blissfully hidden from the regular townfolk, but Chad doesn't know how when it's all so obvious.

He wonders if it would have been this obvious before Chad met the Necromancer. If it would have been obvious before he'd  _ died _ .

Kai Parker runs into Chad once a day after their initial meeting. Chad isn't sure it's an accident.

The first time, it's toward the end of the day, and Chad has gone back to the crypt. He isn't sure why when he goes, but when he leaves, hands shoved into his pockets and shoulders pinched close to his ears, Kai is standing a few meters away, staring curiously. He says nothing, and when Chad finally makes to approach him, he stalks off in the other direction.

The second day, Chad is sitting on a park bench, facing the town's clock tower, just after noon. The news in the diner that morning had reported a massive bridge collapse overnight, and then the disappearance of a local school teacher and their town sheriff. Chad sits on his bench and wonders for the hundredth time, why he stays.

After almost an hour, a figure comes out of his periphery to sit next to him on the bench.

"You know that building is made of pure magic?" Kai's voice doesn't surprise Chad. He finds it oddly soothing instead, and he looks to the dark haired man as he continues speaking. "It's been a part of the town for ages, rebuilt anew whenever something  _ terrible _ happens. The building is still, to this day, absolutely  _ bleeding _ magical energy."

"What are you?" Chad speaks, his voice too quiet for the busy streets, but Kai is barely a foot away. "You're not like…  _ him _ . And you're nothing like the other monsters. Are you… a witch? Are you like those kids?"

"Believe me." Kai chuckles cruelly. "I am  _ nothing _ like those girls that your  _ Necromancer _ was so scared of."

Kai stands up and walks away again.

The third day, the night before Valentine's day, Kai doesn't make his appearance until late in the evening when Chad is grabbing a Pizza with plans to eat it alone in the apartment.

Chad's just left the pizza store when Kai stops him and drags him into an alley.

"Stay inside tonight." The man's eyes are glazed and bloodshot and  _ feral _ , so Chad simply nods. Kai nods back and releases him. "Stay inside."

That night, Chad is woken by what feels like an earthquake, and the distant sound of car alarms. He gets up, sees it's only just after 11pm. He hears the din of loud conversations out the window and peers out to watch a fire truck and some cop cars drive past the building. There's more shouting, and distant honking.

Chad itches to go outside, to look at what is going on in the streets.

He shuts the window and tries to go back to sleep.

The next day, the streets are quiet, and Chad puts his running shoes on, just like he would any other day.

When he approaches the town square, he sees blockades at the opposite edge of the park. He looks up to the same direction he'd been staring in that day Kai had found him at the park.

Only, Chad's eyes meet grey sky instead of a clock tower.

The ground below is practically leveled, as if the building had fallen into the ground. Indistinguishable rubble is piled up where the building had once stood, dust coming up from the ground as a small bulldozer attempts to clear the street of debris.

Chad walks down the crowded sidewalk hearing bits and pieces of gossip about the incident. But no one knows what Chad is starting to piece together.

Chad isn't sure whether it would be better if things were less obvious again.

The day goes on as usual, and Chad finds himself in need of a drink. 

He has never been one for drinking, but watching a town full of people celebrate Valentine's day as if their sheriff and 12 other members of their community aren't missing, and the centerpiece of their town wasn't destroyed, is exhausting.

A quarter after nine at night, he finds himself halfway through his second large beer at the local pub and grill.

The bartenders are young, happy looking kids, maybe Chad's age at most. They're handsome guys, and both clearly unaware that the other is completely into them, even after the black haired boy origamis a dollar into a heart and gives it to the redhead with a shy blushing smile. Chad rolls his eyes at his inability to escape the Valentine's spirit even here, in his lonely, potent beer.

Chad gulps down a bit more to turn his attention from the pining bartenders. His mind wanders and he thinks about the puzzling fact that he hasn't seen Kai all day.

The witch in his thoughts abruptly takes the seat next to him, as if summoned.

"Miss me?" Kai leans an elbow onto the bar and props his chin against his hand as he grins at Chad. His face is clean shaven, making him look all the more dangerous with his sharp jawline and wicked smile. The man is practically thrumming with a sort of mystical force, and Chad absently realizes he probably actually is emanating some sort of magic energy.

"How can I miss someone who won't leave me alone?" Chad mumbles into his beer as he takes another sip, watching the bartenders whisper to each other and laugh quietly.

"What is it about you,  _ Chad _ ?" Kai ignores Chad's barb and squints, leaning in closer. "Ever since I killed your buddy with the skin problems, it feels like-"

Kai cuts himself off, seemingly at a loss for whatever he'd meant to say. He bites his lip and heaves a dramatic sigh.

"So, anyway. You got a hot date for Valentine's Day?" Kai wiggles his eyebrows and wince he's still leaning on his arm, it makes his whole body move in a ridiculous way.

"No." Chad answers, looking at the bartenders once more.

"Ah, you into one of those strapping young lads over there?" Kai teases. "Don't worry. I'm hip. I might be old, but I'm all about free love or whatever the kids call it. Are you jealous that they're talking to each other all close and flirty like that."

Chad looks back at Kai and runs his eyes across smooth features and taught, almost glowing skin. He wonders how old the man beside him really is, and the question itches in the back of his throat.

"No." Chad shrugs instead. "Just wondering if they'll figure out they're in love before its too late. And yeah, maybe a bit jealous that I never got to have that before I-"

Chad shuts his mouth and looks down at his nearly empty beer.

"Before you…" Kai prompts.

"Before the Necromancer." Chad says, making eye contact with the deceptively young looking man at his side. "I don't know if I can anymore. Fall in love, I mean. I feel different. Like, I don't get to have a normal life anymore. Not after what he did to me. Not after he brought me back."

Kai's fist drops into his lap as he sits up straight, eyes widening in surprise.

"You're reanimated." Kai whispers. Then his brow furrows. "Of course. You were with the Necromancer guy, so it makes sense that you'd be  _ undead _ . But why-"

Kai bites his lip again and reaches a hand out to Chad's face. Chad rears back ever so slightly, on instinct, but Kai's hand simply hovers next to his cheek.

"Oh, holy  _ shit _ ." Kai gasps. His face contorts, spanning emotions that pass too quickly for Chad to register, but eventually he lands on amused. He laughs softly, a much gentler sound than any he's made prior to this moment, and Chad's confusion increases. "That's why I always want to be near you so fucking bad- why I need to keep you safe."

"What?" Chad sits back further in his bar stool, pressed as far to the back as possible. Lai drops his hand and laughs again, clearly unfazed and still in awe of his revelation. "What are you talking about?"

Kai shuffles his chair so that he's facing Chad and leans forward.

"Ever since I came out of Malivore, I've had a harder time holding on to the power I siphon." Kai explains, hands moving excitedly with his story. "I didn't know why, I just knew I had to keep consuming more and more in order to do the things I needed to do. And it wasn't getting better. And now I know why. It's you."

The look in Kai's eyes when he says the words is full of fire and danger, but Chad feels anything but scared. He feels desperate.

"What about me?" Chad's voice catches as he asks the question, his anticipation building at the thought of having a reason why he _just_ _stays_.

"I'm keeping you alive." Kai whispers, running his gaze all over Chad as if he's seeing him for the first time.

Chad's heart stutters in his chest, an ironically appropriate reminder that he is, infact, still alive. He watches the way Kai's eyes trace every inch of him they can reach, and Chad thinks he feels it. He feels the fact that the man, the  _ monster _ , just inches from him, is his lifesource.

"How." Chad breathes the word out. It's less of a question, more of a demand.

"If the Necromancer dies, so do his puppets. His zombie minions would all revert back to their original form." Kai swallows, eyes still dancing across the twenty-four year old blonde Texan as if he's looking for a clue to a puzzle. "But you're not an ordinary minion, now  _ are  _ you?"

Chad swallows and looks over at his beer. The dark haired bartender walks toward them with a standard service smile and greets Kai.

"Sorry about that, man. Didn't see you come in. You want a drink? And another for you, my friend?" The bartender ends with a warm smile at Chad.

"What I  _ want _ …" Kai grits his teeth and leans forward, grinning cruelly at the now-frowning young man. "Is for you to leave us alone and grow some balls so you can finally blow your little boyf-"

" _ Hey _ ." Chad holds a hand against Kai's chest, effectively pushing him back from the bar a bit. He then turns a sympathetic look on the employee who has the poor misfortunate of dealing with them on Valentine's day of all days. "Look, he has rage issues and is generally just  _ not _ a nice dude. He doesn't mean anything by it, I swear. But your coworker really does seem to like you. You should maybe ask him out. Honestly, he'll say yes, I can tell. Right, Kai?"

The heat rolling off Kai's body subsides a bit and he relaxes against Chad's hand on his thin shirt.

"Sure." Kai exhales with an eye roll. "That's literally exactly what I said anyway. And fine, I'll take a drink. Whatever he's drinking. I'll even tip you extra since I was a jerk."

"Two more beers would be great, and again, I'm sorry about him." Chad lets his hand fall back into his own lap and grimaces as the boy jerks his head in a nod, clearly wary of the unstable, unrestrained man at the bar. He replaces their beers with haste.

When the bartender has scurried off to the kitchen, Chad rounds on Kai, unimpressed. The brunette is frowning at him, brow furrowed.

"You don't think I'm a  _ 'nice dude' _ ?"

Chad sighs and picks up his beer.

"Seriously? What have I done, except snap at his poor kid, to make you think I'm not nice?" Kai's voice is loud in the nearly empty bar, and Chad looks around self-consciously.

"Well, for a start?" Chad turns back to the affronted man. "You've caused the disappearance of at least 12 people since you came to town, and you murdered the Necromancer, so you probably killed them too."

"Nope." Kai shakes his head and picks up his beer, downing a quarter of it with a few consecutive chugs. He belches loudly then continues. "Wasn't me. Exactly. I mean, I  _ did _ cause those kids to turn off their humanity, but they went on killing sprees on their own."

"So they're dead." Chad nods, frowning deep with disappointment. "Those people who are missing? They're really dead."

"Probably." Kai shrugs.

"See? There." Chad points at him. "You don't care.  _ Not _ . Nice."

Kai downs some more beer and hums in either agreement or disagreement, Chad can't be sure.

"Well. Either way…" Kai scratches his cheek, probably missing the beard he'd had before. "It wasn't me. And you're really throwing me for a loop here,  _ Chad _ . A Necromancer's acolyte, and you don't think it's right to kill people?"

Chad sinks into himself a bit, running a finger through the condensation on his glass.

"I didn't know." He says. "When I agreed to follow him, help him,  _ whatever _ … I didn't know. I thought it would be fun to help him achieve his past glory. He was cool. I just wanted him to be happy."

Nothing but silence follows Chad's confession, and he can't bring himself to look at Kai's reaction, so he drinks more beer and keeps drawing patterns in the moisture beneath his fingertips.

"Are you gonna kill me?" He asks, before he can think better of it. He looks up, and finds that the bartender had been back to check on them. After brief eye contact with Chad, he quickly turns around and disappears into the kitchen once more.

"Why would you ask that?" Kai huffs, the softness and awe from before back again.

"Because I make you weaker. Or at least weaker,  _ faster _ ." Chad shrugs, looking over his shoulder. "Seems like that would be the solution, right?"

"Oh,  _ Chad. _ " Kai's face splits into an honest grin. "You're not nearly as dumb as you seem, are you?"

Chad snorts and picks up his beer once again.

"No." Chad sips the refreshing, bitter liquid and thinks about the events of the past few months that led him here, and the inexplicable, heartbreaking fondness he has for evildoing monsters. "No, I really am."

"Now,  _ Chad _ ." Kai coos, leaning toward him and slinging an arm around his shoulders. Chad instantly feels more alive than he has in weeks, and he can feel his skin flush all over. He shakes his head in disbelief at this evidence of magic bonding him to this clearly insane man. "Cheer up. I'm not going to kill you."

He turns to Kai, their faces just inches apart, and when the other man runs his eyes over Chad's face, it's already familiar and not at all bothersome.

"It is Valentine's Day after all." Kai smiles and places an obnoxiously loud, wet kiss on his cheek. "And I quite like you. So if you stick with me, you're welcome to leech all the magic you want,  _ Chad _ ."

Chad sighs. And nods.

And stays.


End file.
